raking
.You
have three systems that
make
your vehicle
go
where
you want it to
go.
They are the brakes, the steering. and
the accelerator. All: three systems have to
do
their work
at the places where the tires meet the road.
Braking action involves
perception time
and
reaction time.
First, you have. to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That’s
perception’ time.
Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That’s
reaction time.
Average
reaction, time
is about
314
of
a
second. But
that’s only an average. It might be less with one driver
and
as
long
as
two
or
three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination
and eyesight
all
play a
part.
So
do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even
in
3/4 of
a second,
a
vehicle
moving at
60
mph
(100
km/h)
travels
66
feet
(20
m).
That could be a lot
of
distance in
an
emergency,
so
keeping enough space between your
vehicle
and
others
is important.
And,
of
course, actual stopping distances
vary
greatly
with the surface of the road (whether it’s pavement or
gravel); the condition
of
the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; the condition
of
your
brakes; the weight of the
vehicle and the amount
of
brake
force applied.
Sometimes,
as
when
you’re
driving
on
snow or ice,
it’s
easy
to
ask
more of those control systems than
the
tires
and road c.an provide. That
means
you can lose control
of your vehicle.
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